Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1887-08-04
MRS. LEAKE CONVICTED.
Fined S25 and Costs in the
Mayors Court.


the hearing of Mrs. Mary A. Leake,
charged with selling whiskey to Samuel
Griner, which lasted until after six
o'clock. 1t was a hot siege and Mrs.
Leake lost.her case and'was fined $25
and costs, amounting in all to 1894
James Ware appeared as Council for
Mrs. Leake, and by her side sat her
daughter Ida, whose name has been
before mentioned in the cases against
her mother.
City Solicitor Sheppard commenced
business by swearing as witness
Samuel Griner Griner had previously
been a witness against Mrs. Leake and
his testimony was much the same as
before. He was member of the Club
which was purported to have been
founded there. The last time he was
in the place of Mrs. Leake, he said was
on May 9Th. He remembered the day
because it was the day of the visit of
Barnum's circus here. He had pur-
chased whiskey there and thought
that the stuff was handed out to him
by Mrs. Leake's daughter Ida. He
dropped the money in box on the
table. He said the club had been
founded, he thought, in March. He
had never paid any dues, with the
exception of when he purchased drink
and paid for it. He had never re-
ceived any benefit of the club except
drink. He said that Chas. Parker was
President of the club, but did not
know any other officers of the club.
He never attended many of the bust
ness meetings of the club. He had
seen Mrs. Leake take the money from
the box and take it away, but did not
know where. He said that Mrs. Leake
did not hold any Office in the club.
Mr.. Ware then cross-examined the
witness to some length, and the only
point of interest he brought out for
his client, was the fact that he had
thought the club owned the liquor.
On this testimony Mr.. Sheppard for
the prosecution rested his case. Mr..
Ware for the defence, presented as his
first witness Chas. H. Parker. He
started off by saying that the club was
known as the ''Fairmount Social
Club" He had been President of the
organization ever since it was started
with the exception of a week.
Had the club taken legal advice
before starting?" asked Mr.. Ware.
II object" said Solicitor Sheppard.
Mr.. Ware said that it was very
material to his case to show that Mrs.
Leake had taken advice from legal
gentlemen, before going into this club
movement and believed she was all.
right.
Mr.. Sheppard said that had nothing
to do with it. ''If should get mad at
a man, and some lawyer was fool
enough to tell me to kill him and did
it, according to that argument | could
not be punished" He said that the
advice had nothing to do with it and
would have no bearing on the case
whatever. He finally submitted to save
time, to allow the question asked.
Mr.. Parker said there was certain
attorney a member of the club, who
had given them advice on the matter.
He gave the inside working of the
club to Mr.. Sheppard on the cross
examination. Said that J. L. Van
Syckel was the attorney who was the
member of the club The club he
said, was regularly organized club
with about forty members, and that
the liquoI was purchased on orders of
the society. Mrs. Leake had been
a stewardess of the club at salary of
$50 per month, with $25 a month rent
for the room. Mrs. Leake was given
authority to buy the liquors for the
club, with money from the Treasurer.
The whiskey was purchased from
Ridgeway, Philadelphia, and the beer
from G. H. Gahre. ..
There was no other assessments in
the way of dues only when you gave
the price of drink. The club, to, his
knowledge, had never received any of
the profits on rum. Miss Ida had
been chosen as an assistant to Mrs.
Leake, but was never present at any
of the meetings, nor had been pro-
posed member. The Club stopped
week after Mrs. Leake's indictment at
Court 1t was stopped because Mr..
Hoagland had advised them to. This
witness was somewhat tangled up by
the Prosecutor, and his knowledge of
parliamentary rules, such as Presi-
dent of Society should be conversant
with, was somewhat limited.
Mrs. Leake was next sworn in her
own defence. She said she had han
died the liquor simply as an agent for
the club, and had not sold Griner any